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[RC] Perspective on Distance story - Ridecamp Guest

Please Reply to: MELANIE SCHALLOCK MLS3003@xxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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I love these "distance perspective" stories, so I thought I'd add one myself.  
We bought our farm two years ago and met our neighbors recently thereafter.  We 
are surrounded by horses -- all "rackers."  (No, no, not dissing rackers.  Not 
their fault.)  We were invited by one neighbor to go riding one day.  He was 
quite amused by our itsy-bitsy endurance-style saddles and helmets, and I 
explained to him we competed in CTR (and what CTR was.)

We had to ride the roads to the Cherokee Natl Forest trail, so off we went.  
There were four or five rackers and us on our Quarabs.  Our neighbor was aboard 
a skinny little black thing whose coat was about five inches long and thick, 
thick, thick.  Appropriately named -- Hairy.

The rackers took off.  We plodded along easily, as it was an unusually warm 
winter day and everyone still fully coated.  Courteously, they would stop and 
wait, take off racking, stop and wait, till I assured them they could go on, we 
would catch up eventually.  Before taking off, my neighbor remarked, "You know, 
I need to take Hairy to one of them rides you do.  I swear, this thing could 
RACK ALL DAY LONG!"  I nodded numbly, and off he flew.

After 20 mins, we caught them for the last time.  Their poor things were all 
hot and lathered.  We began stopping every five mins or so.  Finally we reached 
a trail, but not the one we'd planned to ride.  We stopped again.  Did we want 
to continue, our neighbor asked.  Well, of course.  Isn't this what we came out 
for?

Up the trail we proceeded, with Hairy leading the way.  It was a short trail, 
but quite steep in parts, and we kept STOPPING.  At the top of the ridge my 
neighbor announced he needed to get back home, he'd forgotten some appointment 
he had. ?!?  I was disappointed.  We'd only been out about an hour.  But we 
started back.

The trip home was quite different.  My horse (who gets stronger as a ride 
progresses) was out in front, and poor Hairy lagged pathetically behind.  My 
hub and I had to keep stopping and waiting for everyone to catch up.  I could 
tell my neighbor was embarrassed.  I had to tie my tongue to the roof of my 
mouth to keep from making comments on the interesting turn of events.

While I stopped to wait, he rode Hairy up beside me.  "I just don't know what's 
wrong with him.  He just don't seem to want to go!"  We crept slowly home, and 
I've never been asked to go riding with him again....LOLOLOL.

Melanie Schallock
Mare 'O Gold Farm
Chuckey, TN


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